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Battle of the Atlantic
Phrase used by British PM Winston Churchill to describe efforts to defeat attacks by the German navy on Allied shipping between America and Europe during WW2. Canadian naval escorts provided continual convoy protection against prowling German U-boats and surface "raiders."Video -
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Battle of the Atlantic
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Canada Declares War on Germany
When the German attack on Poland on 1 September 1939 finally led Britain and France to declare war on Germany, Prime Minister King summoned Parliament and a declaration of war was eventually made on September 9, 1939. -
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan between Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, made Canada the focus of a British Empire-wide scheme to instruct aircrew. It was a major Canadian contribution to Allied air superiority in WW II, and lasted until 31 March 1945. Called the "Aerodrome of Democracy" by US President F.D. Roosevelt, Canada had an abundance of air training space beyond the range of enemy aircraft, excellent climatic conditions for flying, <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch? -
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British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
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Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the first battle in history to be fought exclusively in the air which resulted in the Royal Air Force's Fighter Command compelling the German Luftwaffe to abandon its attempt to establish air superiority over England. Without air superiority, a German invasion of Britain was not possible. No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, commanded by Squadron
Leader E.A. McNab, was credited with shooting down 30 German aircraft.Video -
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Battle of Britain
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Japanese Internment
Internment refers to confinement of Japanese Canadians in B.C. It began after the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor. The federal government gave the order based on speculation of sabotage and espionage, although the RCMP lacked any proof. Following the war internees were given the choice of deportation or transfer to other parts of Canada. In 1988, the Canadian government gave a formal apology and compensation to affected citizens.Video -
Defense of Hong Kong
In 1940 the British regarded their crown colony of Hong Kong as expendable in the event of war with Japan and decided against reinforcing it. The Canadian government agreed to send the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers. On Christmas Day the governor of Hong Kong surrendered. Of 1975 Canadians, 557 were killed or died in horrific prison camps. Video -
John Robert Osborn
During the BATTLE OF HONG KONG a company of Winnipeg Grenadiers, led by Company Sergeant-Major Osborn, attacked Mount Butler. Osborn and a small group covered their retreating comrades and when their turn came to fall back, Osborn single-handedly engaged the enemy, coming under heavy enemy fire. When the enemy threw a grenade Osborn threw himself on the grenade which killed him. His self-sacrifice saved many others.Heritage Minute -
Raid on Dieppe
The raid across the English Channel (Operation Jubilee) on a small port on the French coast. The raid was planned as a "reconnaissance in force" to test the defences of Hitler's continental fortress and the capability of the Western Allies to launch large-scale amphibious assaults. The raid lasted only 9 hours, but among nearly 5000 Canadian soldiers involved more than 900 were killed and 1874 taken prisoner.Video -
John W. Foote
John Weir Foote, VC, (May 5, 1904 – May 2, 1988) was a Canadian military chaplain and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Foote is the only member of the Canadian Chaplains' Services ever to be awarded the Victoria Cross. -
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Italian Campaign
ArticleThe Italian Campaign WW2 began with the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and ended, for Canada, in February 1945 when the 1st Canadian Division was redeployed from Italy to the Western Front to assist with the advance across Western Europe to Germany. The Italian Campaign was Canada’s first major ground participation in the WW2 in Europe and would cost 25,264 casualties, 5,900 of them fatal. -
Battle of Ortona
The 1st Canadian Division was ordered to take the medieval seaport of Ortona, perched on a high promontory and flanked by sea cliffs on the north and east, and by a deep ravine on the west. Canadian troops attacked and suffered numerous casualties from the stiff resistance. After a week of fierce fighting the town was finally taken. Ortona is often referred to as the "Italian Stalingrad."Video -
Operation Overlord (D-day)
The Canadian landings on the Juno Beach sector was one of the most successful operations carried out on D-Day. Hitler's "Atlantic Wall" was formidable and the beach defences included a series of fortified machine gun nests and elaborate bunkers, mine fields, and artillery. The Canadians managed to achieve their D-day objectives but suffered the most casualties of any unit fighting along the 80 mile front in Normandy.Video -
Ernest "Smoky" Smith
PRIVATE ERNEST "SMOKY" SMITH was Canada's last living recipient of the VICTORIA CROSS, the Commonwealth's highest award for valour. He was a "hellraiser" who drove superior officers in the Seaforth Highlanders to distraction during their deadly campaign through German-occupied Italy. Using a Tommy gun, anti-tank weapons and whatever else he could scrounge, he wiped out two German self-propelled guns and a Panther tank, killed four attacking soldiers, and carried a wounded comrade to safety. -
Liberation of the Netherlands
The 1st CANADIAN ARMY, under General H.D.G. CRERAR, was ordered to clear the Dutch approaches to the key Belgian port of Antwerp, along both banks of the Scheldt estuary. It fell to the Canadians to liberate Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The Dutch there had suffered through an extremely harsh winter short of food and fuel. The Canadians were welcomed enthusiastically and forged deep bonds with the people of the Netherlands.Video -
Fred Tilston
Fred Tilston led "C" Company in an attack across muddy terrain through barbed wire and enemy automatic weapons fire. After being slightly wounded by shell fragments in the head, he personally destroyed one enemy machine gun position with a hand grenade, and led the men on to a second German line of resistance when he was wounded for the second time in the hip. While preparing for a counterattack, Tilston was wounded for the 3rd time but refused medical aid until his men were properly organized. -
Hitler's Death
Hitler committed suicide by gunshot in his Führerbunker in Berlin. His wife Eva Braun also committed suicide by ingesting cyanide poison. That afternoon, in accordance with Hitler's prior instructions, their remains were cremated in the Reich Chancellery garden outside the bunker. -
Germany Surrenders (V-E Day)
Victory in Europe Day, known as V-E Day,is the date when the Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, thus ending the war in Europe. Video -
Hiroshima
The United States called for a surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration on 26 July 1945, threatening Japan with "prompt and utter destruction". The Japanese government ignored this ultimatum, so President Truman authorized the use of a nuclear weapon named "Little Boy" that destroyed the entire city in minutes[Video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t19kvUiHvAE) -
Nagasaki
The B-29 Superfortress "Bockscar" carried the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb with Kokura as the primary target and Nagasaki the secondary target. A last minute break in the clouds over Nagasaki allowed Bockscar's bombardier to visually sight the target as ordered. The "Fat Man" weapon exploded 1,539 ft above the ground resulting in a blast yield equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT, heat estimated at 3,900 °C, and winds estimated at 1,005 km/hr. Total deaths were estimated at 80,000 Japanese people! -
V-J Day (Japan Surrenders)
Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which the surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II. On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was performed in Tokyo Bay, Japan, aboard the battleship USS Missouri.Video
